For my two pence, I'd say its pretty powerful stuff. One thing I'd say that isn't portrayed too often in animation is actual guilt. Probably for good reason, at least based on the above assumptions about animation for children. Its a heck of a painful concept to approach and grapple with. On the one hand, you probably get a lot of perceived guilt, guilt portrayed in such a way as a character blaming themselves for something that the audience can just as easily see them not being culpable of, and are perhaps actively encouraged to do so having been provided with evidence to the contrary. Cue other cast members reassurance's that 'there's nothing they could have done', said character will likely come to terms with said event, and they move on. 

Here there is no cast, just one man who, tragically, looks to have had no such assurances and has been weighed upon by his 'mistakes' heavily for years.

And as for his culpability, only his mistakes are shown, there's no context provided as to whether he was accustomed to carriage driving, or if he was familiar with firearms, or if he was of a quick enough wit to have avoided that situation entirely. Indeed, his own actions indirectly caused his father's death, and the only words spoken by the father are cries for help and him placing trust in his son. There's nothing really shown to suggest if he should or shouldn't feel guilty, but its plain as day to see why he does.

As it is, its a brief summary, but one in the way guilt does tend to operate. It remember's only what could have gone differently, the pivotal moments... And it also remembers the reason why those mistakes were so disastrous in the first place and the guilt so heavy, because of what was lost.

Revisiting where the chase concluded, he finds it mostly the same as it was, which is on point symbolism. You can't change the past. The dust over it's remains may thicken and become an even uglier sight to bear in time, but equally it needn't be all consuming. Which to me is what the short is about. Its not that the man returned to the scene to die, but that he came back to face the past and attempt to come to terms with it. He evaluates his role in things, and while initially choosing to blame himself and entertain the idea of ending that train of thought entirely, in doing so he discovers that life is fragile, and just how easy it was in such a perilous situation (both his current frame of mind and the carriage chase) to have almost cast his own life away on accident, let alone how easy it may have been to have failed somebody else. And then he's reminded of his own reasons for living still, the picture in the pocket watch. It survived all that time, just like his own more positive memories, and the potential for future ones.

And the nicer implication of course being that he is able to move on. The watch ticks again for the first time since his father's death, which I needn't note the symbolism of. X)

But that's just what I took from it.

Definitely a fantastic little thing. Totally didn't cause tears

And such a great soundtrack too!

Mmm, the Theresia comparison's apt X) One of my favourite scenes from that, even across the entire series but I didn't quite draw that myself. 

And yus, you're most definitely right about that and how it concludes. 'Moving on' is an interesting phrase. I used it in my post and I suppose the subtle insinuation there is that they've left it behind which isn't really quite how I'd intend it. I don't think any event such as that, regardless of whether the impact or not as it is here  (like you've said the opening makes it very clear of the weight the dude's been carrying as its very first scene) will ever be something anyone would just forget about and live without. You do see things try and pull such an idea and its never sat well with me. Here I suppose its more or less about acceptance, and looking past it rather than moving it out of the frame entirely, as some things would have you believe. And I'd say that's a far safer and more realistic interpretation.

And mmm, its a curious thing, but I've noted a bit recently that sometimes its the shorter stuff that can really hit home for me and I have crazy respect for things that are capable of it. All the same, this is one of the best I've seen with something quite so complex.

And I can tear up at almost anything, and a bad point of reference for such things because of it. X) Nice to know that it does properly pack that punch!


In line with successful animated shorts... Did you ever watch Blizzard's The Last Bastion? I don't think everyone would have quite the same reading of it, but for me that handled some complicated and darker subtext (admittedly, nothing quite as much as this) in a short animation rather brilliantly too. You also needn't know a thing about the game its based on (Overwatch) which is a plus.